Owner of produce stand rebuilds after fire
Jul. 21—After falling down, some people will pick themselves up and try again, while others — discouraged with what happened — will move on to something else.
Stan Bremseth, owner and operator of Stan's Produce, falls firmly in the former category.
After a fire destroyed his produce stand in early May, he was forced to build a new one. Stan's was operational for 12 years prior to a fire caused by burning garbage.
Rather than ponder over what he lost, he decided a week later he was going to build a new stand with the help of his friend.
That meant starting from scratch with a new 16-foot trailer.
Besides building a trailer, he painted it. In total, the project cost $4,000 and took two months.
According to Bremseth, Stan's Produce has everything, and if they don't have it they'll get it. That includes tomatoes, peppers, onions, cucumbers, green beans, summer squash, zucchini, jalapeños, beets, corn and Black Diamond watermelons, to name a few.
Bremseth gets his produce from a group of Mennonites in Elma, Iowa.
"I started a garden, ... took what little produce I had in that garden, sold it in two weeks, and I started going down there," he said.
"Had nothing to do when I retired," he said, referring to his career driving trucks.
Loren Skatter was there Thursday morning.
"My wife said she wanted a tomato," he said. "I don't eat them."
He also thanked residents for providing business and his landlord, Blain Nelson, for providing lumber.
Stan's Fresh Produce — which opened in June in time for Black Diamond watermelon — is open from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. The stand is at 1902 E. Main St.
